DETROIT -

Saying that its diverse board of directors is a competitive advantage, General Motors named technology leader Meg Whitman and National Basketball Association executive Mark Tatum to its board.

The board appointment of Whitman, who is former head of Hewlett Packard Enterprise; and Tatum, who is deputy commissioner and chief operating officer of the NBA; are effective Friday.

Seven GM directors are women. Areas of senior leadership and board experience for the company’s 12 independent directors include information technology, digital commerce, retail, higher education, investment management, international affairs, defense, transportation, cybersecurity, and pharmaceuticals.

GM’s diverse board of directors is a competitive advantage as the company works to deliver a safer and more sustainable world, GM chairman and chief executive officer Mary Barra said.

Whitman was president of media startup, Quibi Holdings LLC, a media startup, from 2018 to this year. She was president and chief executive officer of computer hardware and services company Hewlett-Packard Co. from 2011-2015. She was CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, an edge-to-cloud platform-as-a-service company from 2015-2018 and was president and CEO of eBay from 1998-2008.

“I have tremendous respect for the commitments Mary and her team are making and the culture they have been building,” Whitman said. “GM’s growth strategy has all the elements of a startup but with far greater scale, millions of customers and a strong underlying business. This makes it a very exciting time to join the board.”

Tatum joined the NBA in 1999. Appointed NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer in early 2014, he is currently responsible for the NBA’s global business operations.

That includes leading the NBA's international efforts, and he also oversees the global partnerships, marketing, team marketing and business operations and communications departments. He also oversees the NBA G League and NBA 2K League.

“GM is changing a more than 100-year-old business model and marshalling thousands of people and billions of dollars to drive solutions that matter for the environment, communities, businesses and investors,” Tatum said. “Joining the board and helping accelerate that change is an honor, and I look forward to working with the GM team and my fellow directors to make it happen."

Barra said, “Mark and Meg will bring unique experiences to the board, especially in technology, brand building and customer experience that will help us drive value for shareholders and other GM stakeholders now and into the future.”